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Notes for Computer Meeting December 22nd, 2004

Opening

Zoe Strohm opened the meeting and we had a fantastic party with the pastor and Ellen in attendance.

Content

We continued with New Year and Christmas themes:

Creating a Christmas Card in Word

We downloaded a template from Microsoft and edited with personal information.  The website is http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC010127561033.aspx .  This was then printed on half fold card.

Seasonal Clip Art

I found and downloaded several pieces of clip art with a seasonal theme and used one of them to start a seasonal newsletter.  The website I downloaded the clip art from was: http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/results.aspx?Scope=MC,MM,MP,MS&PoleAssetID=MPj03995900000&Query=Holidays&Origin=HH011642151033&CTT=5 .

2005 Calendars

We downloaded some templates for 2005 calendars which can be edited in Microsoft Word, Excel or Powerpoint (templates for each piece of software).  The download site is

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT011371131033.aspx .  I downloaded a 2005 Calendar on which you could enter birthdays.

Faxes by internet

If you do not have a fax machine you can still send faxes from your computer or through a third party by e-mail.  I found a site which allows you to send a receive faxes through an assigned telephone number using you e-mail system.  A fax is simply a graphic file which can be included in an e-mail using the service company’s downloaded software.  This particular site allows you to try the system free for 30 days and after that you pay $9.95 per month for up to 40 faxes in a month – a lot cheaper than purchasing a fax machine and it works 24 hrs a day and automatically e-mails you incoming faxes.  Obviously you have to e-mail outgoing faxes to them to send to a telephone number.  The site is:  http://www.venali.com/office_marketplace/

Windows updates

Remember to keep you computer operating system up to date to maintain security by going to:   http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/default.aspx?ln=en-us or, if you are using Windows XP setting the “Automatic Updates” in “Control Panel” to automatically update your computer when new critical updates are available.  You should also be updating you anti virus and firewall software on a regular basis.  In Norton products simply click on “LiveUpdate” when you are connected to internet.

Anti-Spyware

We discussed the issue of spyware at a previous meeting.  Spyware is becoming a bigger problem than viruses and can significantly degrade the performance of your computer.  Earthlink, AOL and Yahoo have come out with their own anti spyware software which you can add to the toolbar of internet explorer for free.  It involves download a program from their website.  I downloaded the Yahoo tool bar addition the other day and they made it very easy to download and install from a link on their home page.

The Future

While we are not planning any future meetings, I am available for consultation over the telephone if you get into difficulty.  I have enjoyed working with you all and I appreciate the messages from each of you explaining how this group has helped you grow.

Notes for Computer Meeting December 8th, 2004

Opening

Lois Borgonovo opened the meeting.

Content

We spent the meeting reviewing issues with a Christmas theme.  We changed the background on the computer screen to a winter scene by right clicking on a blank part of the main Windows XP scene, clicking on ‘properties’ on the drop down menu which appears, and then clicking on appearance.  Scroll through the various options or click the “browse” button and go to “My Picutres”.  Select your favorite picture and use this as a background.  If you want to use the changing winter scene background I demonstrated, you should note that the link I put in the notes last year to access it on the Microsoft website, no longer appears to work.  It was a free download for personal use and therefore I believe I am free to make a copy of the program for you.  Bring a CD-R to the next meeting if you want a copy.

With the use of an internet connection and a word processor like Microsoft Word (or Word Perfect), go to the following Microsoft sites and download Christmas card templates, Christmas stationery templates and Christmas label templates to dress up your Christmas. Go to http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=1413291 for cards and for labels go to http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=1413292 .  We then tried to create our own group Christmas card using Microsoft Word, a Microsoft background and a group photo.  We went through all the steps and printed both sides of a sheet of paper which formed a half fold card.  We went through the steps to create writing paper with a Christmas water mark on it.  We used the “Insert” menu item on a new Microsoft Word document, and selected “Picture” and “Clip Art”.  We found some bells in the library of clip art and inserted it into the document.  We dragged the corner of the image to increase its size to fill the page.  We clicked on and formatted the image so that text would print over the top of the picture.  Click on “Format”, “Picture” and “Picture”.  Run down the scroll bar under color and select “washout” or “gray scale” then click on the “layout” tab in the same window and select “behind text”.  This will allow you to type text over the top of the picture so it will appear as a water mark on the paper.  Have fun playing with seasonal tools on your computer!

Next Meeting

    The next meeting will be on December 22nd to finish out the year.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting November 10th, 2004

Opening

Zoe Strohm opened the meeting with poetry reading.

Content

Printer Maintenance

A couple of people have reported problems with printers so we reviewed a few tips for maintaining inkjet printers which are the most common in home computer setups.  We demonstrated this with a Hewlett Packard Deskjet. 

Electronic Cameras

We reviewed the options for transferring pictures from a camera to a computer for printing.  We examined the different types of storage media.  Many new computers are equipped with slots for inserting three different types of storage media found in cameras today – compact flash, smart media and Sony sticks.  These allow you to copy picture files directly to “My Pictures” using Windows Explorer which is part of Windows XP.  If you do not have this facility on your computer, you can buy an attachment to plug into a USB port which will handle different media.  We demonstrated transferring files from a compact flash card using a hardware attachment.  Most camera manufacturers supply a cable for transferring pictures using their own software which you install on your computer.  If you are doing this it is best to use a battery eliminator to power you camera rather than its own battery.  It is very easy to corrupt picture files if the battery is failing during the transfer.  Whichever technique you use, plan on storing the files in “My Pictures” so that you know where to find them.

Printing Photos

We have talked in the past about various programs for editing, printing and e-mailing photos in the past.  The camera manufacturers normally supply their own software to do this.  However you can print directly from Windows XP.  We demonstrated this in the class and printed four pictures on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of glossy photopaper.  Click on “Start” and “My Pictures”.  Single left click to highlight a picture to print.  Hold down “Ctrl” while you click if you want to select more than one picture to print on a page.  From the menu on the left hand side of the window, under “Picture Tasks”, select “Print Picture”.  A Microsoft Wizard will open up which takes you through the steps of selecting a format and picture size.  Remember to set the printer preferences to “photopaper” if you are using glossy or matt photopaper.

Next Meeting

    We will not meet on November 24th but will meet on December 8th and December 22nd to finish out the year.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting October 27th, 2004

Opening

Loretta Keener opened the meeting.

Content

Recordable CD Drive

We learned how to make an audio CD from recordings on your hard drive or from another CD.  The first step is to create recordings on your hard drive.  To copy tracks from an audio CD you simply place the audio CD in your CD drive and it should open a menu in Windows XP with several options on it.  You can either play it or copy it to your hard drive.  Select “Copy” and Windows Media Player.  Select “Copy from CD” on the menu listing on the left hand side and a list of the tracks on the CD will be displayed.  Place a check mark against the tracks you want copying and uncheck all the others.  Click on “Copy” on the top right hand of the screen and the process will begin.  The computer will copy the tracks to your “My Music” directory and they will appear in the playlist on Windows Media Player.  If you then want to copy audio tracks to a blank CD, click on “Copy to CD” on the left hand menu and select track by placing a check mark against them.  Put a blank CD-R or CD-RW disk in your recordable CD drive.  Click on “copy” on the top right hand of the window and copying will begin.  You will notice that each track is first converted and then copied so that it can be played in any audio CD player.  Windows stores music files in a special format on the computer and this format is not suitable for many audio players.  It therefore needs to make a conversion first.

Word Processing

We spent some time exploring the set up and use of Microsoft Word (also found in recent editions of Microsoft Works).  Before using Microsoft Word for generating a document, it is a good idea to set up the appearance of the Window you type your document in, to make it easy to use.  First select the format of the document using the tiny icon on the bottom left of the window in Microsoft Word.  Click on each icon in turn to see how the window changes.  You may need to type a few lines of text before you click on the window format.  I always use the third icon which displays the document as you will see it printed.  Then you need to set the task bars.  These are the list of icons at the top of the Window which allow you to format, file and print.  Click on “View”, “Toolbars” and select at least the first two items on the tool bars, “Standard” and “Formatting”.  Run your mouse over each icon in turn and a descriptive box will appear telling you what the icon is used for.  Finally, I also open “View”, “Task Pane”.  This puts a list of items on the right hand side of the screen which will allow you to access existing documents and templates.  We use the “task pane” in this lesson. 

If you are mainly going to be using Microsoft Word to type letters, create a template with your address and phone number in bold at the top of the page and save it as a template.  Click on “Save As” and after giving it a name, run the roll down bar on the second line under the name, in the save window, until it reads “*.dot”.  It will then show up in the “task pane” as an available template.  Click on the “template” line in the “task pane” and view each of the templates available in Microsoft Word including the memo template and the fax template.  These are preformatted documents with variable in which you can type over to create a document easily.  When you have finished creating your document as a template, be sure to select “save as” and give it a new name with a “.doc” extension to avoid overwriting your template. 

We reviewed each of the formatting tools on the tool bar in turn and learned how to inset paragraphs and create bullet lists.  We inserted clip art into our document using the “insert”, “picture” function.  If you always want to insert pictures into text and have the text flow around the picture,  go to “tools”, “options” and select edit.  In the window that appears select roll down the bar under “insert and paste pictures” and select “tight”. 

We experimented with the cut and paste tool to move text or replace it.  We then experimented with printing labels and envelopes using “tools”, “letters and mailings”, and “envelopes and labels”.  We created a whole sheet of labels with different names and addresses for use on Christmas cards.  Remember to buy sheets of labels which have an Avery reference number on them from the office store.  You can then simply enter the label number under “options” in the label window and Microsoft Word will automatically format to print correctly on the label sheet you have purchased.

Next Meeting

    The next meeting will be held on November 10th, 2004, and Zoe Strohm will handle the opening.  We will not meet on November 24th but will meet on December 8th and December 22nd to finish out the year.

Notes for Computer Meeting October 13th, 2004

Opening

Lila Biesinger opened the meeting.

Content

If you make a mistake use “System Restore”

In Windows XP and Me, system restore is the first thing to try if your computer suddenly start “acting up”.  If you browser suddenly stops working or the computer does not perform as you expect it to, system restore allows you to step back to settings that Windows was using before the change occurred.  This happens most frequently when you install a new piece of software and the computer does not work correctly after the installation.  The procedure for system restore is:

Microsoft Office Support

We reviewed this site and looked at the selection of document templates and clip art which can be downloaded.  It is also good for tips on computer maintenance and using the software.

Clip Art Online

We accessed the clip art database in the Microsoft Office support website and “cut and pasted” clip art into a Word document to make it look more attractive.

Tips for Managing Files

We spent some time creating subdirectories and moving files into them in “My Documents”.

Next Meeting

    The next meeting will be held on October 27th, 2004, and Loretter Keener will handle the opening.

Notes for Computer Meeting September 29th, 2004

Opening

Peter opened the meeting with a reading of Psalm 8.

Content

Microsoft’s “At Home” website

Microsoft Office Support

Windows XP Service Pack 2

Everyone who has Windows XP should install this upgrade.  It is free and can be downloaded automatically from the Windows Update website.  If you have automatic updates turned on in Windows, it will download in the background when you are connected to internet without you taking any action.  However you will need to initiate the install process by clicking on the Microsoft globe icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen which indicates you have updates to install when you run your mouse pointer over it.

Next Meeting

    The next meeting will be held on October 13th, 2004. Lila Biesinger will handle the opening.  Loretta Keener will handle the opening on October 27th and Zoe Strohm will handle the opening on November 9th.

Notes for Computer Meeting May 19th, 2004

Opening

Lois opened the meeting.

Content

Zoe catalogued the problems she faced when her computer was infected with a virus on April 28th, 2004.  Here are some steps you need to take to protect yourself from this kind of attack:

Protecting your personal computer from information theft and viruses:

 

  1. It is true that many viruses exploit holes in the Microsoft operating system e.g. Windows XP.  The weaknesses are normally discovered by computer professionals concerned about security and they work with Microsoft to develop patches.  These patches are regularly released to computer users as downloads over internet.  You can either go to Microsoft’s update site (http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp ) and download and install critical updates manually or , if you have Windows XP, you have an update manager which automatically downloads critical updates for you and lets you know when they are available to install.  It is true that if everyone regularly updated their windows software with these free security fixes many of the troublesome viruses in circulation today could not spread.  Check for a globe with a Microsoft four square window element on it in the lower right hand side of your computer window.  Move you cursor over it and if it displays a sign which say “updates ready to install”, click on it and follow the simply installation instructions.
  2. Most viruses get onto you computer from internet.  Do not open attachments from sources that you do not recognize.  Even if the attachment comes from a friend, always click “Save it to Disk” and not “Open it”.  Open it from your “my documents” after you have saved it to disk.  This allows your virus software to scan it first.  Yahoo mail users have a facility to scan attachments for viruses before they download them from internet and so this avoids this risk.
  3. Do install an antivirus program and keep it up to date using the automatic update feature which works in the background when you are connected to internet.  Regularly check the virus software status window to make sure the virus definitions are recent.  They are normally issued at least once a week.
  4. Do install a firewall to limit access to your computer from internet particularly if you have a broadband internet connection (always on).  The same company which supplies your virus software will also supply your firewall software.  In Windows XP, a simply network firewall is included in the operating system.  If you do not have firewall software, turn this device on in windows using the steps at the bottom of this page.
  5. Do a complete computer scan for viruses at least once a week.  Most virus software allows you to do this automatically but clearly you have to have the computer turned on when the check is timed to occur so many people prefer to do this manually when they have the time to let the computer run for an hour to complete the scan.
  6. Regularly back up you computer to CD-R’s so that you can recover if attacked (see index of computer group subjects on the website)
  7. Closing the stable door after the horse has escaped is very painful where recent viruses are concerned.  While the virus software can remove viruses from infected computers, they cannot undo the damage and it is the damage which takes time to correct.  BE WARNED!!!
  8. Setting the Windows XP firewall (courtesy of the Windows XP help file):
  1. Open Network Connections
  2. Click the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet connection that you want to protect, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
  3. On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select one of the following:
    • To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.
    • To disable Internet Connection Firewall, clear the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.

Notes

 

Lois is still having problems downloading pictures from Yahoo Mail so I am including the process again in these notes for those who missed the original description.  In Yahoo Mail Inbox, messages with attachments have a paper clip symbol beside them.  When you open a message with a picture attached, it should display a “view” of the picture but if you try to print it out you will see all the rest of the webpage information on your print as well.  To print out or size a picture you first have to download it.  Alongside the view of the attached picture are two options 1) scan and download picture 2) save to my yahoo photos.  Click on the first option and software at Yahoo will proceed to scan the file.  Hopefully it will come up with a screen to say the file does not contain any viruses and on that screen is the bolded, underlined word “Download”.  Click on “Download” and you will get a window which asks you whether you want to open it or “Save it to disk”.  Always click on “Save it to disk” and enter a file name to assign the picture when asked.  For pictures, I recommend you save the picture in “My Pictures” which is a subdirectory of “My Documents”.  Once you have saved it you can open the file by clicking on the file name in “My Pictures”.  You can also mail to someone else as an attachment.

Next Meeting

    We will break for the summer and reconvene in September if there is sufficient interest in doing so.  Please e-mail me if you want to continue.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting May 5th, 2004

Opening

Winnie Eklund opened the meeting.

Content

If you have questions about your printer, such as which cartridge to buy, both Hewlett Packard (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/siteHome?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en ) and Epson (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supAdvice.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&noteoid=17615  ) have customer care pages to help you.  They also allow you to download new drivers for installing your printer if you have mislaid the original CD that came with the printer.

 

One of the features in Microsoft Office and also in Microsoft Works which the casual computer user rarely uses is the spreadsheet.  This is a very useful function and we spent sometime during the class understanding what you can do with spreadsheets and why the spreadsheet is a valuable tool.  We reviewed three applications and how to create them, a home inventory, a net worth statement and a checking account register.  Experiment with this program and let us know what you have used it for in the next class. 

Home Inventory -  Cecilia Smith    
     
Item Description Date Acquired Value
     
Living Room      
Couch Three seat leather 1988  $       500.00
TV Sony 25 inch 1995  $       300.00
Chair High back upholstered 1970  $       100.00
Desk Roll top oak 1950  $       400.00
     
Bedroom      
Twin Bed Slumberfast 1990  $       600.00
Chest 4 drawer oak 1950  $       100.00
     
Kitchen      
Microwave Sears 1995  $       700.00
Stove GE 1990  $       800.00
     
Total      $     3,500.00
     
     
Net Worth - Cecilia Smith  
 
Assets Total Value
 
Checking Account  $             2,000.00
House  $          800,000.00
Savings  $          100,000.00
Household contents  $             3,500.00
Automobile  $            10,000.00
Total  $          915,500.00
 
Liabilities  
 
Credit Card  $               (500.00)
Mortgage  $           (50,000.00)
Automobile Loan  $            (2,000.00)
Total  $           (52,500.00)
 
Net worth  $          863,000.00
Checking Account at Bank of America - Cecilia Smith      
           
Item Description Date Check # Debit Credit Balance
Starting Balance Deposit 1-Jan-04      $2,000.00  $2,000.00
PG&E Utilities 10-Jan-04 100  $ 100.00    $1,900.00
PacBell Phone 12-Feb-04 101  $   50.00    $1,850.00
Safeway Food 12-Feb-04 102  $ 150.00    $1,700.00
Long's Drugs 15-Feb-04 103  $ 100.00    $1,600.00
Pension Deposit 15-Feb-04      $2,000.00  $3,600.00
Cash ATM 16-Feb-04    $   60.00    $3,540.00
           

 

We took a look inside a Windows XP computer and learned how to handle the four most common problems with computer hardware.  We learned how to replace the battery and the power supply.  We also learned where to plug in additional memory.  All these job are relatively simple for a novice.  The fourth most common hardware problem is a filing disk drive.  Replacing the disk drive is more difficult and should only be attempted by a knowledgeable person or a repair shop.  However replacing either the disk drive or the power supply costs up to $300 at a repair shop, and the components themselves cost less than $100.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on May 19th, 2004, and Lila Biesinger will handle the opening.    We will then break for the summer and reconvene in September.

Notes for Computer Meeting April 21st, 2004

Opening

Lois Borgonovo opened the meeting.

Content

We spent some time reviewing the settings in Microsoft Internet Explorer, the most common web browser.  In particular we went through one procedure for stopping pop-up ads by changing the settings in Internet Explorer.  This was thoroughly covered in the notes of  March 25th but we did not have time to cover it in the meeting.  We explored other setting which might be useful in Microsoft Internet Explorer by clicking on “Tools” and “Internet Options”.  Under the general tab you can set your internet home page by either tying the address near the top of the window or navigating to the web page you would like to use as a home page and then clicking on “Use Current”.  This screen also allows you delete cookies and change the number of web addresses you keep for the most recent sites visited.  The “Security” and “Privacy” tabs allow you to customize the levels for your machine.  We used this to control pop-up ads by disabling “Active Scripting”.  The “Programs” tab allows you to set the mail program that you use so that you can access it from the icon on the browser menu.  We then looked at organizing the “Favorites” folder in Internet Explorer.  On the menu line, click on “Favorites” and “Organize Favorites”.  This allows you to create new folders to sort the sites which you frequently visit into folders and to delete sites from the favorites list.  You can also delete items from the favorites list by right clicking on the site name and clicking on “Delete” on the drop down menu which appears.

 

We reviewed the options for shortening messages which you want to forward to someone else.  The easiest route is to simply highlight the section of an e-mail which you are interested in forwarding, right clicking on the highlighted section and select “Copy”.  Start a new messages with the addressee and subject and then, with the cursor in the text section, right click and select “Paste”.  The message can then be sent in the normal way.

 

Zoe presented a proposal to send a consumables package to the troops in Iraq and we decided to collect goods in the next two weeks and send a package following the next meeting on 5th May, 2004.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on May 5th, 2004, and Winnie Eklund will handle the opening.  Lila Biesinger will handle the opening on 19th May.  We will then break for the summer and reconvene in September.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting April 7th , 2004

Opening

Loretta Keener opened the meeting.

Content

We discussed ways to speed up your PC by doing some housekeeping.  The first thing to attend to is your hard disk – your C:\ disk.  If it is more than 75% full you probably need to remove files and programs which are no longer necessary.  Click on “Start”, “My Computer”, right click on “Local Disk C:” and then select “Properties” with a left click.  Under the “General” tab a pie chart should display the capacity of your hard disk with the percent used and percent free space.  Right next to this is a button to click for “Disk Cleanup” which will scan your drive and display files suggested for deletion.  While you are there look under the “Tools” tab of the “Properties” window you accessed above and there is an option to defrag your hard disk.  You may want to come back to this after clearing out some of the old files and programs as it takes a long time to defrag a disk and the more you have on it the longer it takes.  This will not release any space but it will put the most frequently accessed programs and files together on the disk so that they load faster.  To delete excess files in “My Documents” use the “Windows Explorer” program we demonstrated four weeks ago.  To archive pictures which take up a lot of space, back up your extra files to a CD-R and then delete them from your hard disk once you know you have tested the CD-R to make sure you can retrieve them.  Check the index on this website for instructions on backing up to a CD-R.  

 The next space hogs to look at are programs you do not use.  Most recent programs include uninstall software on their installation CD and you can normally find this by clicking on “Start”, “Programs”, “program name” and then the uninstall tab.  If you cannot find an uninstall tab for your program click on “Start”, “Control Panel” and “Add or Remove Programs”.  The computer will display a list of all the programs on your computer with “change or remove” button on each one.  Select the program to remove and click on “remove”.  Make sure before you do this that this is really a program you no longer use.  Just because you do not recognize it does not mean that the computer does not need it to operate correctly.  I would therefore suggest you only remove programs which you have installed and no longer want.

 If you use internet a lot you may also want to look at removing pop up ads (see notes from March 24th) and removing programs (called Spyware) which are installed on your computer to keep track on the web sites you visit.  These programs arrive on your computer when you install new software and access certain websites.  They take time out of your browsing as they same data for accessing when you next go to that company’s website.  Some may be beneficial, such as Microsoft’s software for assessing which updates you have downloaded so that they can suggest new critical updates.  Most have very little benefit to you and are marketing tools for companies to recommend products to you.  I personally have a problem with these data mining programs as they are installed without permission and slow web browsing down.  They could also be used to access personal information you do not want to reveal.  We demonstrated a tool called “Spybot” which we downloaded from a site called www.safernetworking.org .  The download is free and allows you to scan your computer for such “Spyware” programs.  However you either have to remove the programs and files they create manually or register the program for a fee of $49.95 and the program will do it for you.  I understand there is discussion on legislation to stop websites and software companies using Spyware without your permission but there is much discussion around the definition of spyware and this legislation may never get passed into law.

 We spent the rest of the session exploring some of the options in “Control Panel” for customizing your computer to be more user friendly.  Try checking out some of these options by clicking on “Start” and “Control Panel”.  In particular check on the keyboard icon, which allows you to set up “sticky keys” and the mouse icon, which allows you to change the size of your mouse pointer, the double clicking speed and sets up a target to find your mouse pointer.  Other items on the control panel which we have discussed at previous meetings include the “Display” icon for changing the background and screen saver, and the “Power” icon which allows you set the time at which the computer hibernates to save power if it detects no keyboard activity.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on April 21st, 2004, and Lois Borgonovo will handle the opening.  Winnie Eklund will handle the opening on 4th May and Lila Biesinger will handle the opening on 18th May.  We will then break for the summer and reconvene in September.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting March 24th , 2004

Opening

Winnie Eklund opened the meeting.

Content

We did not get onto the main agenda for this meeting as there were a number of questions to handle and one member brought in a computer to trouble shoot.  This is fine as the main focus of these meetings is to work on the things which cause you trouble.

 

Two members brought in photographs on disks to find out how to print them.  Both contained *.jpg files (click on “Start” and “My Computer” to view contents in the floppy a:\ drive).  One of the disks had corrupted files which caused the viewer to lock up and therefore could not be printed.  In Windows XP there is a picture viewer which automatically displays *.jpg files when you click on them in “My Documents” or “My Computer”.  This viewer also allows you to print but gives you no option for editing or sizing.  *.jpg files will open in “Paint” (“Start”, “Programs”, “Accessories” and “Paint”) but again this program gives you limited options for printing.  The easiest way to size, edit and print photographs is to use one of the photoediting or graphics programs we have discussed.  PrintShop will allow you to do this but by far the easiest approach is to download Kodak Easyshare (see notes from March 10th, 2004) and use this to size, edit and print your photographs.  We demonstrated this with the file from one of the disks a member had brought in and showed that it can be used to print multiple pictures on the same sheet. 

 

We briefly reviewed how to create and name new folders in both Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo webmail and in Windows Explorer.

 

We hooked up one of the member’s computer to find out why it was not connecting to AOL.  We found that it dialed onto AOL with no problem and all the settings were correct.  However AOL rejected the account and we decided this was probably due to a misunderstanding on an account cancellation instruction.  The only way to remedy this is to call the ISP and ask them to reset the account.

 

There was a question about pop ads and how to get rid of them.  Most firewall software has a setting to remove pop ads.  Some ISP’s, such as AOL and Yahoo, also have software to stop pop up ads which can be accessed online through their “Setting” menu.  Pop up ads occur when you access particular websites and are controlled by active scripting in Internet Explorer.  You can disable active scripting in Internet Explorer but to do this for all sites will cause active scripts that you need on particular sites not to work.  For example if you access you bank or credit card records over the internet you will probably need active scripting to be working for the bank to identify you as you.  If you use Comcast for your broadband access you will find that they use active scripting to trouble shoot your account.  To disable active scripting for all sites, start Internet Explorer and go to the “Tools” menu item and “Internet Options”.  Click on the “Security” tab and then “Internet” and “Custom Level”.  Under “Active Scripting” in the “Scripting” section, click on “Disable” and then “OK” and OK”.  If you find out you have problems accessing particular sites which use active scripting to work, an alternative would be to list the sites you want to restrict.  For this you need the full web address of the site which you have have found causes you the most problems with pop up ads.  Click on “Restricted Sites” and then “Sites” under the “Security” tab.  Then click on “Add this Web site to the zone”, type in the full web address for the site that you want to restrict and then click on “Add”.  Repeat this for each site where you find pop-up ads are a nuisance.  Click “OK” and then click “Default Level” to set the Restricted Sites zone to “disable active scripting”.  Click “OK” again and go back to your nuisance site to see if it works.  We will demonstrate this in the next class as it is clearly a bit complicated.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on April 7th, 2004, and Loretta Keener will handle the opening.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting March 10th , 2004

Opening

Ruth Bunnell opened the meeting.

Content

We started out working with Windows Explorer to carry out basic file functions on the computer.  You can access Windows Explorer by clicking on “Start”, “Programs”, “Accessories” and “Windows Explorer”.  We learned about right clicking on the folder list on the left hand side of the Window to “Send” a folder to another drive.  During the process we used a Sandisk Cruzer USB storage device, brought by one of the members, to demonstrate backing up folders to a storage device.  We demonstrated how to expand folders by clicking on the + sign in front of the folder name to display sub folders and files.  We used Explorer to look at the contents of other drives on the system and to “Drag and drop” files from one folder to another.

 We reviewed the Kodak Easyshare software which I had downloaded from the Kodak webpage at the internet address http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=130/1465&pq-locale=en_US .  They require you “sign up” first but the download is free.  It takes quite a long time to download on a dial up connection but on broadband it is very quick and it installs itself .  It automatically scans your computer and makes an index of picture files on the computer which you can organize by date taken, title or whatever you prefer to use as a sort method.  It allows you to indicate “Favorites” which are displayed as thumbnail images at the beginning of the index.  We investigated each of the menu items on the top line including cropping images, adding special effects and burning a set of images onto a CD.  We demonstrated each of these and burned a CD of some of the images.  We also used the software for e-mailing images as an attachment to an Outlook Express message. 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on March 24th, 2004, and Ed Eklund will handle the opening.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting February 25th , 2004

Opening

Doris Duncan opened the meeting.

Content

Last time we looked at scanning pictures into an already open program such as Printshop or Microsoft Word.  Some programs do not allow you to import direct from a scanner.  However Windows XP makes this very easy.  Make sure your scanner is connected and turned on when you start up your computer before this operation.  Click on “Start” and then right click on “My Documents” or “My Pictures” if you have a picture.  A menu comes up and you need to left click on “Open”.  This opens up a folder view of “My Documents” or “My Pictures” which allows you to carry our various file tasks including “Get pictures from a scanner or camera”.  Put a picture or a document in your scanner and click on “Get pictures from a scanner or camera”.   A wizard opens which asks simple questions including what you want to name the file and what format you want.  Name your file and select JPEG format.  Click on “Scan” and a new folder with your file will appear in you folder view.  You can simply click on this to view it or use one of the other operators on the left side of the window to copy it, rename it or e-mail it.  Notice that the menus on the left hand side of the screen are context sensitive.  In other words, the menu will only list operations available for whatever you have highlighted.  If you want to create a new folder or get pictures from a scanner you need to click your mouse on white space in the window to make sure all the files and folders are deselected.

 

While we were in “My Documents” folder view we reviewed the process for creating a new folder and moving documents into.  From the same list of “File and Folder Tasks” we selected “New Folder” and a new folder immediately appears in the display with the name “New folder” highlighted.  Type in a unique name and the “New Folder” designation will be changed to your new name.  Individual files can now be “dragged and dropped” into the folder.  Single left click on a file and hold the left button down while you drag the icon over the new folder you have created.

 

At the last meeting we talked about how to insert pictures direct from a scanner or a file into a Word document.  This works for most word processors but not for WordPad, the simple word processor included with Windows XP.  WordPad only allows you to insert an “object” into your document and this means that the picture you try to insert will be saved as an icon in the document and not as a visible picture.  If you print the document out you will only see the icon but if you e-mail or it save it the picture can still be viewed by clicking on the icon while the document is on the screen.  WordPad can be accessed by clicking on “Start”, “Programs”, “Accessories” and “WordPad”.

 

Several people have asked about how to edit pictures.  If  you did not get software with your camera or installed on you new computer, Kodak offer their EasyShare software for download on their website at no charge.  The internet address is http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=130/1465&pq-locale=en_US .  They require you “sign up” first and when I tried it the sign up web page was not working.  I will try to download it before the next meeting and demonstrate it.

 

Zoe brought in an interesting article on “Removing Pop Up Ads”.  When pop up ads appears on your screen when you are on internet, they frequently remove tool bars on the screen so that you can only interact with the pop up ad.  To remove this nuisance hold the “Alt” key down and press F4.  The article also said that a pop up prevention program is available on the Google website for free.  I have not tried this.  Those of you who use AOL, Yahoo or some of the other major ISP’s already have tools available to you on their websites to do this.

 

We demonstrated how easy it is to e-mail documents or pictures from “My Documents” and from a Word Processor such as Microsoft Word.  Remember that you can only do this if you are using Microsoft’s Outlook or Outlook Express, as your mail program.  If you are using webmail you will first have to upload the picture.  In Yahoo you compose your webmail message and then click on “Attach Files”.  A window will open which allows you to browse through your files and select the correct one.  The process is automatic but does involve an extra step.  Similarly if you receive a picture by webmail, you will have to download it to your computer before you can print it or edit it.  In Yahoo, click on “Download” next to the picture display.

 

We had a question about reverse telephone number lookup on internet.  There are several websites you can use.  I use for this is http://www.switchboard.com/ which allows reverse number lookup from the main screen.  These websites only give limited information unless you subscribe to their service and, of course, they will not give information if a customer has asked to be de-listed from the telephone directory.

 

Another question involved removing the file history in Microsoft Word.  When clicking on “File” in Microsoft Word, a menu drops down.  At the end of this menu is files that you have recently accessed.  If you want to remove this you can change the settings in “Tools”, “Customize” and “Options”.  While you are there check out some of the other headings under “Tools”.  You can customize your word processing session the way you want it rather than accepting the Microsoft defaults. 

 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on March 10th, 2004, and Ruth Bunnell will handle the opening.

 

Notes for Computer Meeting February 11th , 2004

Opening

Lois Borgonovo opened the meeting.

Content

I demonstrated a device I had purchased during the week, which can be used for backing up valuable files and also for transferring files from an old computer to a new computer (discussion on January 28th).  Most computers sold since 1997 have USB ports and all new computers have USB ports.  If both your old computer and your new computer have USB ports a device like the “Cruzer mini” from Sandisk can make the jo